Abusive Trust
by Silverspirit11
Summary: two girls, cousins, meet for the first time. then, their lives change. will it be for the better, or will they be betrayed, and their livelihoods destroyed? rated K plus, just in case. R&R plz. Written by a friend and i.
1. Chapter 1

"Styx, wake up! We're here!"

"5 more minutes…ugggh."

"No! We're here!"

_Great, my mom is a pain in the neck as it is. Now, because of this STUPID coven reunion, she's harping more than usual! _My thoughts were, as usual, a torrent of cruelty aimed at the person closest. But, what can I say? It's in my nature. My name _is_ Styx, as in _hateful_.

"Don't you want to meet your parents' teachers? It'll be great! The Palace Pagans are already expecting you, after hearing all about how great a student you are! It'll be great! Oh, and there's the Coven of Cauldron Bubbles! They're great loads of fun! And …." Mom just kept on babbling.

I love my mother to death, but when she gets a little stressed, or worried, she always babbles and she continually says "great". As if that's going to make anything better. Dad, however, is a totally different story. With a capital T. He never talks, and when he does, it's rarely more than a few words here and there.

I guess that being a witch isn't exactly what you would call normal. But for us, we couldn't live any other way! And I wasn't going to change that at all. Any one who wanted to harm my lifestyle, was going down! At least, that was before the big incident.

*****

"Wake up, brownie girl!"

"I'm up, I'm up! Geez! I need my beauty sleep!" _3:30 am. Oh my GODDESS! What is this unholy hour?!?! No mortal need be up at this time! _ Parents. Don't they know what I need?! I need SLEEP! Goodness!

_I don't know how they can stand this!_

"Come on, already, Brownie girl! Set up the tables! People will be here within hours!"

"I'm coming already! I just woke up! Let me get dressed, for the love of PETE!"

"Pete? Are you dating somebody? Shouldn't I know this?" Mom asked in her quiet way.

"Mom, don't hyperventilate! There is NO Pete. It's a figure of speech. I'm gonna go help Dad set up." _Of all the parent's in the world! I get stuck with a quiet Mom and a demanding father! Why me?! _

…

_Hunh. Oh well. I still love them, no matter what their flaws. _

*****

"So, I hear family will be at the coven reunion…" I hinted. It was obvious curiosity, but I felt that I might have wanted to possibly attempt to cover it up.

"Yeppers! You bet your great horsies! Your father's sister and her daughter are going to be there. Just think! Your cousin! She's fifteen, too! Isn't that great?!"

"Mom."

"What, sugar plum?"

"Chillax."

I flipped my fiery hair when I walked by, leaving her sitting there, acting as though she didn't hear me. Yeah, that's right. I'm a red-head. Pale skin. Silvery- blue-ish eyes. Only, my hair isn't JUST red. It's got white blonde highlights, and lowlights. And, it's all natural. _Every model wants my hair. Mwahahahahaha!_

Walking past our car, I realized that I didn't know the way to the front door. _My parents hadn't prepared me for this. I don't know my way out of the parking lot! I'm gonna DIE here!_

"Styx! Over here!"

"Hunh?" Whipping my head back and forth, it took me a while to see who was calling my name. "Uncle Thor?! Is that really you?!"

"The one and the only! Are you looking for the front door?"

"Ehh, well, about that…..yeah. Hahahahah!"

"Here, you can come with me. I'm assuming your parents aren't far behind?"

"Nope."

"Good. By the way, I want you to meet my daughter at the party. I'm really excited about you two, and I think you will get along just fine!"

"Okay."

*****

"There's a lot of chairs out here. Are we gonna have THAT many people! It's just a coven reunion!" I huffed, irritated at the amount of chairs I, alone, had to set up. _I doubt many people are gonna ACTUALLY come. _

"Geez! Stop complaining! I had to set up all the tables! These things are not light!" A guy walked up, seeming to be about my age, but you can never tell with all these lights.

_Hmmm, he's kinda cute… Maybe all the people here aren't gonna be old!_

"I'm Luke. And you are?" He asked, almost courteously, like he was raised in a proper family.

" I'm Eris." I replied, smiling coyly. I couldn't believe I was actually flirting, but you know, if I had some company my age, this shindig couldn't be too bad.

" I gotta go set up more tables," he spoke, walking away, " but I would love to hang out later on, at the party, maybe?"

"Sure thing. I'll see you later. Bye." I couldn't believe it. I almost have a date, and I was going to possibly enjoy the party!

Then, _she_ walked in.

And beside my dad, too. Ugh, the nerve.

*****

I walked into the building, slightly in confusion. It was a lot bigger than I had expected, and I wasn't quite prepared for the crowded room. Then, there was my uncle, trying to usher me along. He always was one for keeping up a brisk pace, and I never did get along too well with him.

Then, I saw _her_.

I knew instantaneously that she was my cousin, whom I haven't seen since I was, like, a week old. We were born on the same day, in the same hospital. One room apart. And yet, we had never met, and I knew already that I had a new rival, someone who I would be attempting (successfully, I might add.) to trump until I died.

She caught my eyes, and we shared a glance, only a heartbeat long, but still enough for us to know that we each recognized the other, and saw the threat, lingering in our thoughts.

I walked by in contempt, showing off my hair, in a sad, and most likely, unsuccessful attempt to raise her jealousy, and possibly even lower her self-esteem. If she knew that I was a fighter, and a winner, right off from the beginning, she might not have been such a pain. At least, that was my reasoning.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mom, Dad! I'm gonna go and try to find someone to talk to." I called over my shoulder as I walked away from where my parents were talking to people. _ I can't believe that there's someone older than them!_

"Okay, sweetie. Just be sure to go and talk to your cousin. She's the one with brown and green hair." My mom told me in her voice that means "do it, or else!"

"Sure thing, Mom. I'll see you later." _Hmmm…. I wonder if there is any one cool to hang out with here… Maybe I'll be forced to talk to her for lack of better company! Oh! The horror!_

I wandered around for awhile, before coming to the conclusion that there were only two people my age there; a nice looking guy, who was preoccupied with family going all goo-goo-gah-gah. And _her. _

Seeing as how he was being smothered by a large family member who, judging by what I heard from the loudness of their conversation, hadn't seen him since he was four, I opted for the latter.

I was scanning the crowds when I saw what I believed was her hair walking away from Aunt Freya and Uncle Thor.

*****

"Thanks for helping me set up the chairs, Dad!" I sarcastically muttered, just within his hearing range. _And he calls me lazy! Sheesh!_

"Did you say something, brownie girl?" He gave me a look, just over his glass of water.

"Um, no?"

"That's what I thought. Go be social. Maybe you could actually _talk_ to you're cousin?"

"Fine. I'll attempt to make conversation." I replied, with a look of my own, flying just past him as he turned to talk to a friend. I walked away with my thoughts in a flurry.

_If he wants me to talk to her, he's out of his mind! There is no way on Earth I will talk-_

"Hey! Aren't you my cousin…Erica?" _She_ was there, interrupting both my thoughts, and my walk way to Luke, who was standing only a few feet behind her.

"It's Eris. And you're, ummm….Stick, right?" I said, in an open attempt to make her leave, just through pure antagonistic speech. If I pretended to care less, she would grow bored, and go away. At least, I had hoped so.

"Hehe! No, it's Styx, you know, like River Styx, where Achilles was dipped into to become immortal...." Styx appeared to be enjoying my cruel words, as though they were a refreshing dip in a stream. "It also translates to hateful. No joke!"

"Oh really? Well, my name is the-"

"Goddess of chaos? Yeah, I'm surprised that it isn't a more popular name, you know? It's kinda pretty." _She cut me off! Maybe I should say something nice, just to make my dad happy. _

"I haven't heard of anyone called Styx before…"

"Yeah, it's not really popular… Oh well, I like well enough." She seemed to be so sure of herself it almost made me sick. Luckily I was saved by what I like to think is an angel in a human's body.

"Hey, Eris! Oh, who's your friend?" Luke just happened to walk up, saving the moment.

"I'm Styx." Just then, the D.J. played the worst possible song for that moment. Can't Fight the Moonlight just happened to be playing, and both Styx and I were looking at Luke, as if challenging him to pick one of us.

He looked towards her and tilted his head in a questioning look, and at that moment, I heard my dad calling me. "I got to go. I'll see you later."

_And not a moment to soon. Whew! I never thought that he would pick her. Nor that I would be thankful to my father! _

_*****_

"Oh. She left." He looked a wee bit nervous.

"Why? You were gonna ask her to dance with you?" I said, feeling kind of let down.

"NO! I, uh, wanted to say bye. Before I left."

"You're leaving the party?" I said in a slightly obvious upset tone. I thought for a moment that something was wrong with me, which was why he didn't want to be alone with me.

"No. I have to…to… go talk to my parents. It's, uh, time to check in." He stated, stuttering after looking at his watch.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you later then… Bye." I said before walking away.

_Okay, now I am all alone_. _Maybe I should go find my cousin to see what Uncle Thor wanted._ _Umm, I think some one's staring at me_, _and it's kinda creeping me out! _I thought about it for a moment, trying to decide if I should find the prying eyes and see what they were looking at, but then I decided that it was probably all in my head. I guess I just wanted some one to notice me. Unfortunately, I got the wrong person to do that.

As I turned around to go discover where my parents went, I saw two pairs of eyes, looking straight at my own. One was Luke, which surprised me. I thought he liked my cousin. The other was a man, about my parents' age, who looked oddly similar to Luke. _Maybe they are related?_ I thought, confused. The man's eyes were cold, dark. Like he wanted to pierce my heart through, while Luke's were questionable. Maybe he was thinking good things, maybe not.

I really couldn't decide which, but I was saved from having to figure which one it was.

"Styx! Get over here!"

"Fine Mother." I walked over, to find my cousin, my parents, and my aunt and uncle standing in a semi-circle facing me.

"Meet Eris!"

"We've already met, Mother." I replied sarcastically.

"Oh. Well, have a good chat!" Our parents disappeared, leaving us alone, once again.

"Why'd Luke leave?"

"You tell me." I sighed.

"Guys are so confusing."

"You're preaching to the choir. Speaking of guys, see that guy over there, the one who kinda looks like Luke, except a little older? You know the one who looks like he wants to kill me?" I pointed out the creepy guy who was still watching me.

"Hmm. He's looking at me like that now, too."

"Yeah, he's been watching me, and it's kinda creepy. I don't get it. I haven't seen him before in my life."

"That is weird. Maybe we should go talk to him to see what he wants."

"Um, okay?" We walked towards him, step by step, with our brains thinking the exact same thing:

_I have a bad feeling about this._


	3. Chapter 3

_**BOOM!**_

"NOOOOOOO!"

*****

"What was that?!" I yelled to Styx while we were lying on the ground.

"I have no clue. Some thing big and I doubt its part of the party!"

"Hey, are you guys okay?" A guy walked over and helped me up. Luke limped over to us and helped Styx up from the ground. She almost fell, so he had his work cut out for him.

"I think I hit my head..." Styx mumbled, as I looked at her forehead, only to find a big gash with some blood dripping from it.

"We need to get you cleaned up. You're bleeding from your forehead."

"So that's what's so warm and wet…" She breathed, after stumbling to a chair that Luke set up for her to sit on.

"Luke, are you okay? You're limping." I asked, concerned for his welfare.

"It's nothing compared to Styx. What about you? Are you okay, Eris?" He asked, but he never took his eyes away from her forehead.

"I think I sprained my wrist." I winced as I touched the tender spot on my writing arm.

"Let's go get that in a splint while Luke fixes up your friend." The guy said, leading me out to the parking lot.

"I'm not leaving my cousin. You can go get your supplies and bring them in here." I jerked away, leaving him flabbergasted at the fact that I had said no.

"Okay. I'll be right back."

"Hey Luke?" It was the first time she had spoken since sitting down, so I snapped my head in her direction, in order to figure out what she was going to say.

"Yes, Styx?"

"Who was he? What happened? Where is everyone?" She asked a torrent of rapidly fired questions I doubted he had the answers to.

"Well…"

"I'm Peter, a vortex to another world was created by Luke's father, and everyone but you three was sucked in." Peter walked in, just as Luke was about to start attempting to answer Styx.

"Was it you who cried out 'No!'?" I asked, confused as to when he got here. _ I would have noticed him, were he here at the beginning of the party._ I thought, trying to remember seeing his face in the crowds.

"Yeah. I knew what was going to happen as soon as I saw him open the portal." Peter nodded, seeming to not want to elaborate.

"And what, exactly, hap-" Styx tried to speak, but she swayed in her seat. Apparently she lost more blood than we had thought. Luke had to catch her before she fell out of her chair. "Good catch." She muttered.

*****

_Whoa. I never knew that bashing your head felt like this…Ouch. _ I thought to myself, while Eris was trying to clean my forehead and cover the wound. The guys were a few feet away, fixing up Luke's leg and talking in short, fast, and incomplete sentences.

"Dang, Styx! What did you bash your head against?"

"No clue. It's probably the blood-covered piece of debris. What do you think?"I remarked, cruelly. I knew she was just being nice, for many reasons, but I was still irritated. "Sorry. Couldn't help it."

"Well, my guess is anything, like… maybe, a stick?"

"Ha! Leave the rude and mean to me, girl. It goes with the name." I'll admit that I enjoyed our little bickering, mostly because it was normal. It still hadn't sunk in that my parents were gone.

She picked up a stick a few feet away, turned, walked over to me, and looked at me with a tired look. "No, seriously, I think you bumped your head on this." It had blood on the top of it, with was pointy, and the exact shape of my new scar.

"Ah."

"Yeah."

"My mistake. Oopsie."

"Sure, right, like I should believe you."

"Please! Hypocrite! You had to STEAL your cell phone back. I saw you pick-pocket your mom!" I made a gesture of "what-were-you-thinking?" and "Hah-hah-I-caught-you." Her cheeks turned a bright red.

"I-uh-um-"She got a lucky break, though. The guys walked over, keeping her from having to explain herself.

"We need to move. This place can't do anything for us, now. We have to go find the others." Peter spoke, rather solemnly, which disappointed me. I wanted everything to go back to normal. You know, maybe it was a practical joke?

"You betcha! I need to use a bathroom. For multiple purposes. I think my hair's all messed up!" Eris cried.

"Please! Your hair only needs a comb! It's so straight! I need to actually place my hair, not to mention brushing, as well as trying to cover this gash on my forehead!" I looked at her with a look of disbelief. At that exact moment, our minds clicked, and we both turned to look at the guys.

They were just there, staring at us. Blank looks sitting on their vacant faces.

"What?" We shrugged in unison, trying to figure out what they were looking at.

"Nothing. You both look fine. Why do you need to fix anything?" Peter asked us, glancing over me, and eyeing Eris.

"Yeah." Luke seemed to support that conclusion, by doing exactly the opposite. He glanced at Eris, and was watching me, seeming to attempt to gauge my reaction.

*A few seconds later…*

"Umm." Luke was trapped in a corner, while I was glaring at him. I know that I scared him, at least enough to make him stammer. "M-Maybe we should d-do something about Eris's wrist?"

"Oh, yeah! Sorry Eris! With all this excitement, and my forehead, I had momentarily forgotten about your wrist. How is it?" I looked over at her, after giving Luke the "we-aren't-finished-here" look.

"Um, it hurts." She spoke shortly, as if the pain were unbearable. _That's all a big act! It's just so she can get more attention from the guys! _ I thought, having sprained my wrist before. I knew from my past, that it didn't hurt _that_ much.

"Um, I don't feel so good…" She muttered, only to black out. I had to catch her, which nearly knocked me over. I happened to fall onto Luke, who, out of surprise, couldn't hold both of us, and fell into Peter. It would have been a humorous domino effect, if we were watching from the outside, but experiencing it was not funny. We all fell down, which made my growing headache worse, I landed on Luke's broken leg, and Peter had all of us laying on him. Plus, Eris was a dead weight. She felt like she _was _dead. Yeah, it wasn't fun.


	4. Chapter 4

"What happened?" I woke up, lying on top of a semi-comfy, but mostly lumpy, pile of things.

"What happened?! WHAT HAPPENED?! What happened is that 15 minutes ago, you blacked out, and fell on me! I then landed on everyone else, causing them extreme pain, not to mention myself, and I haven't been able to MOVE YOU!" Styx yelled, right next to my unsuspecting ear.

"Oh. Well, I better get up then." I managed to stand, but the ground seemed to be a magnet for my torso. I was swaying, and I saw the room spin in front of my eyes.

"Hallelujah! I can move again!" Styx cried, after getting up. She had to help up Luke, who winced with every movement nearby his leg.

"Ouch. Thanks for the warning, by the way. I loved having the domino effect." Luke was in pain, so I didn't reply with a rude comment. The only one who didn't seem irritated was Peter, and I think he just hit his head to hard.

"How ya doing' Peter?" Styx was apparently ignoring me, but that was fine. I would soon be used to it.

"I think I'm okay. I think we should be more concerned about Eris."

"Why?"

"Because she's walking around the room, tripping, running in to things right in front of her face, and acting like a total moron."

"Ah. Well, I do suppose that calls for some attention. I'll go see to that." Styx tried to follow me, but I just ran away. Next thing I know, I'm face first into a brick wall. I just slammed into it. Suddenly, everything went black. Again.

"Well, that solves that problem." I heard Styx remark.

"I'm not unconscious. I just can't feel my face. I do however, feel extremely stupid."

"Hey! Do you need me to come help you up?" Luke called out, across the room.

Although I couldn't see it, I could feel the heat emanating a few feet above my head, and I knew Styx was giving Luke the death glare. "No. Send. Peter." She spoke only loud enough for them to just hear.

"That's okay. I got it." Peter ran over and helped me up. I saw Styx head over to Luke and mutter something in his ear. Something that made him turn as white as a ghost.

"What do you think she said? I've never seen Luke look like that!" Peter whispered in my ear.

Peter got me wondering. "How long have you known Luke?"

"We met when we were kids. We always stood up for each other, and he's like a brother. The only difference is blood."

"That's an awfully long time."

"Yeah. How long have you known Styx?"

"Well, despite the fact that she is my cousin, I've only known her for a few hours."

"Wow. That's short."

"Well….uh, yeah."

Just then, I heard a yell. "You there! Yeah that's right, you two! Get your butts over here you stinking Love Birds!"

"Well duty calls." I breathed, before running over to Styx and Luke, with Peter right behind me.

"What Styx?" I asked, not particularly happy to be pulled from private time with Peter.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to annoy you by calling you over."

"I should strangle you!" I reached over, but she started to jog.

"Eat my shorts!" She called over her shoulder, which got me running. I hadn't actually processed what she said earlier, but now it got me thinking. _Love Birds? What was she thinking? Peter doesn't think of me that way! Does he?_

*****

We stopped running due to Peter's impatience. He yelled out for us to come back, mostly because we had some "unfinished business". Yeah right.

"Like I said earlier," Glares for Eris and myself, "we need to move on. After closing this portal, I found you guys, so next up is to find more portals."

"Portal_-s_? What do you mean portals?! I thought he opened _one_! And what do you mean, 'after closing'? I thought it just shut down!" I questioned him relentlessly, mostly because he hadn't told us this information before. Shock, unawareness, and incomprehension were probably out in the open on my face. I know they were floating around freely in my mind.

Panic showed clearly on Eris's face. She seemed a bit frightened by what she thought was going to occur. Luke however, seemed totally at ease. If anything, he looked worried about my forehead.

"Yes, portal-_s_. As in multiple. There are many portals all over the world. You have to close them, in order for no one to be able to get in, or out. You don't even want to know what lurks behind those portal walls." Peter enunciated, so I could understand.

As I realized what he meant, I felt all my blood run cold. _What he's talking about- I thought they were just legends- is he SERIOUS?!_ A challenge that vast was almost impossible to imagine. I couldn't form a coherent sentence, word, thought even. If he meant what I thought he meant, then we were in for a long ride.

"I mean exactly what you think I mean." Peter almost whispered, for the room had gone an unnatural silence. As though the walls itself didn't want to murmur the task that fate had laid before us.

"Great. Can my day get any worse?"

….

Little did I know, it was about to get far, far worse. Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of it.

….

"Um, Styx? Are you okay? You look a little pale- I mean paler than usual." Eris looked at me, concern written across her face, probably because I was normally the one who talked. The fact that I had been silent for about five minutes without being injured before hand was a huge surprise.

"So we have to go this way, then that way. Next is that way…" Peter was mumbling to himself, almost under his breath. He had been staring at a map for what seemed like hours, doing just that.

"What extensive plan do you have for us? 'Cuz, you know, I just love having my future planned by another mortal, who has no reason to decide that." I remarked after sitting for a few more minutes. I admit, it was probably a bit much on mean, but I was upset. I didn't like what the Goddess had planned.

"Technically, Luke's dad decided your future when he opened the portal and shoved everyone in. You really can't blame me for helping you get on with your life." Peter replied coolly. That irritated me, because I was expecting some sort of distress, rather than the tone that he used.

"Maybe I don't want to go on a quest with you guys. Maybe I want to leave my parents behind. Maybe I want to save them alone! You're trying to decide what I do, and you have no right to do that! I wasn't sucked in for a reason, and I'm going to figure that out!" Now, I was livid.

"Styx shut up. Please. Peter, what else can we do?" Eris was giving me a tone that implied that she didn't like that I was being rude to him.

"No! I'm sick and tired of this! I just want everything to go back to normal! I'm done with this! Your sick joke can end now! Ha ha! Congratulations, you made a poor teenager cry!" Saltwater was overflowing from my eyes and onto the rest of my face. I was a mess. I knew that without having to look in a mirror. My own thoughts wouldn't settle. I couldn't think like that. So, I did the only thing I thought I could do. I left.

Luke reached out, as if to catch a tear, but I didn't let him. I shied away, before striding towards the door. Peter and Eris had dumbstruck looks on their faces, so I didn't expect them to chase me down.

"Wait! Come back, Styx!" Luke was yelling behind me, but I wasn't listening.

"Just leave me alone." I cried over my shoulder. I couldn't look at them. I couldn't look at my own reflection in the glass of the door.

"My stupid leg! If I hadn't broken it, I could have stopped her!" Luke was chastising himself, and it didn't help. It only made me feel worse.

"Oh My Goddess!" Was the last thing I heard from Eris before I left the building. I had thought that I had left it forever, but I wasn't in on the plan that the Goddess set up.


	5. Chapter 5

"I have to go after her!" I screamed. It had just sunk in that Styx was really gone, and I wanted to follow her. Unfortunately, Peter had a different idea.

"Let me go talk to her. You and Luke can stay here, while I go and help her to understand. I caused this, I need to fix this!"

"No! I need to talk to her-!" my voice broke. Tears started to fall, and I wasn't in the mood to try and cover it up. Peter wouldn't let go of my arm, so I couldn't escape. I struggled against the strength in his arms, and was amazed by how restraining he was.

"No. I won't let you. I will go and talk to her." He spoke carefully in my ear. I knew that he meant that to be final, and I accepted defeat. I slumped into a chair with a sigh, and just let my tears flow freely. _I lost everyone. Everyone! _

…

_Well…Everyone related to me. Peter and Luke are still around, but they don't count._

"Trust me. I will get her back here, and I won't let any harm come to you or her." Peter spoke only to comfort me, but I wasn't listening. I was far away, mentally that is, in a place where everything was as it should be. There were no portals, no secrets, and no pain. Everything perfect, and just the way that people always imagine a world should be like.

*****

I ran. I ran as fast and as hard as I could. I just needed to get away. Away from everything, from everyone.

Next thing I know, despite my mental groan of protest, I hear a car, speeding most likely, behind me. I knew there was no escape, so I slowed to a walk, and sighed heavily.

A window rolls down, and I see Peter's face. "She's really upset you know. You should be worried about her."

"She should be upset. But you know, I doubt she is even half 'upset'", I used air quotes to emphasize, "As I am. You have no _idea_ what I'm going through."

"Yes. I do. Get into the car."

"No. You don't." I was being stubborn, I know, but I was a tad on the touchy side, and I wasn't going to take him seriously.

"I do. Get in the car and I'll tell you."

Amazingly, I did what he said. I don't know why. Curiosity, maybe? Maybe I was just tired of walking.

"I need to use the la toilette. Make this fast."

"Fine. I'll drive you to the nearest stop, and I'll tell you my story along the way." He looked at me with something similar to contempt. I could tell he preferred my cousin.

*****

"So…" I attempted to make small talk, but it was obvious that he was in no mood to talk.

"So what? She's gone, and he left to go get her. I would've done it myself if I hadn't broken my bloody leg." Luke looked mutinous, so I didn't contradict him, in fact, I almost agreed with him.

"What is it with you people?!" He obtained an appalled look, which remained until I explained further.

"What appealing charms does she have that forces every guy to chase her around in circles?! She wants to be alone, so why can't she be left alone!"

"You want her to go away?" He spoke in such a small, quiet voice that I almost didn't hear him, but it sounded so sad and he looked so confused that I took a gentler tone.

"What I mean is…Why did Peter have to go after her? I wish he hadn't gone." I tried to sound convincing, because that was the truth, and I was revealing a personal piece of information that I normally wouldn't have.

"Peter left… because he thought it was the right thing to do. He took responsibility for his actions. He didn't take the fact that Styx", I cringed at her name, which we hadn't so far spoken, "was a- is a bloody proud girl who likes to make her own plan. He thought she would follow him unquestionably just like you and me. Of course," He chuckled at this part, "we have other reasons to follow him. I've known him, and trusted him wholly, for a large part of my life. You, however, are infatuated."

At this point, my body burst into action. Before I could realize what I was doing, I'd stood up, walked over to Luke, and slapped him, hard mind you, across the face. He looked shocked when I did that. I sat back down with a little smirk of satisfaction.

"Did you just- What was that?!"

"Sorry, couldn't help it. I needed to, hehe, release some built up anger, so I probably hit you harder than intended. You got to admit, though, you deserved it."

"A what?! I deserved that?! My face with be red for weeks!"

"Don't be a baby. It'll only be red for a couple of hours."

*****

"Explain your story." I demanded wearily. He looked at me like I was a mule and shouldn't have been able to talk.

"Okay. But first, the toilet for you." He drove up to a diner, parked, and reached over to open my door. "Don't worry, I'm following behind you."

I got out and walked into the diner. It was designed to look like a 1950's place, and I wasn't impressed. I found the bathroom and went inside. When I came back out, fully relieved with my hair and face in better order, Peter was sitting in a booth with a menu in hand. There was another one on the table, in front of the booth across from him.

"Sit down. You might as well get something to drink while I talk. If anything, it should shut you up for 15 minutes."

I started to get mad, but decided it wasn't worth it. I sat down, across from him, and the waitress walked up. When she asked what I wanted, I only asked for a glass of water. She looked surprised, but turned on her heel and walked away. I noticed Peter watching her backside, and I added it to my blackmail arsenal.

The waitress returned with my water and left with one more curious glance in my direction.

"Spill."That was the last thing I said before I took a sip. After that first sip, self-control was history. I hadn't ever tasted anything as good as that water, and I relished it.

"The real reason I was in the area, nearby the portal I mean, was that… My younger sister was dragged into one of those portals 2 years ago. I only had my permit then, so I traveled looking for her with my parents. Then, on my 16th birthday, my parents were taken from me, so I was left to travel in my car alone. I was old enough to drive, and I had the motivation. That's why I was here. That's my main reason for helping you guys. I want her back. She's the only family I have." His eyes started to water, and I started to choke, I seemed to have swallowed water down the wrong pipe.

"So. That's my long term goal. My short term purpose is to get you back to Eris and Luke. They need you." He suddenly became a more focused person, and his eyes lost their glazed look.

"Pah! They don't need me! They have each other."

"What? What do you mean?!" He looked panicked, and I think I knew why.

"Haven't you seen the way he looks at her?! It's clear that he has a thing for her!" I crossed my arms with a look of "well-duh".

"What do you mean?! He looks that way at you!"

"Right. Definitely." I laid the sarcasm on thick with a hint of a laugh at the end to cap it all off. "You do realize that _he _asked _her_ to hang out with him at the party?"

He suddenly became a statue. He prominently placed a scowl on his face and it seemed he was determined to get me out of there. "We need to go. Now."

"Okay." I smirked. I stood up with a flourish and walked steadily to the car. I could feel a flush on my cheeks from the water's rejuvenating powers.

*****

"How long do you think they're going be?!" I was pacing around the ruined room, with Luke's eyes following me. I could tell that he would also be pacing, were it not for his leg.

"I don't know." He muttered.

I gasped as a thought that could only be evil meandered into my head. "What powers of persuasion do you think he's using?!"

"Please. Don't go there. Have you seen the way he looks at you?" He sounded tired.

"But, he looks at her like that!"

"No. **I **look at her like that. **He** looks at** you** like that."

I giggled. "You're wrong. But you're right about one thing: _You_ do look at her like that."

"What?! How can you tell?! Is it that obvious?!"

"Um, very."

"Rats. I thought I had it covered." He seemed very irritated.

"You probably fooled her." I rolled my eyes with a definite grin. _Yeah right! She's not gonna be fooled. Wait. If I'm being fooled by Peter into thinking that he doesn't look at me like that, but Luke can tell, then maybe she's falling for the same thing, but with a different person! _

…

_What?! _


	6. Chapter 6

"What happened TO HIS FACE?" I shouted into the room. Both Luke and Eris whipped their heads in my direction. They had shocked, incredulous looks on their faces, and they clearly weren't expecting to see me again so soon. Only an hour and a half had passed since I walked out, but it felt like forever.

"I'm only going to repeat myself once. What happened to his FACE?!"

"I- err- I slapped him."

"Are you sure, it looks more like a hickey to me." I said with a sneer. I was deeply disturbed. They were sitting in a close proximity to each other, and I didn't like it.

"Oh yeah, because your rosy cheeks don't tell us a thing about his powers of persuasion." Eris retorted rather easily, and at that I flushed even more. For a different reason of course. I flushed because I was mad, and because Luke looked murderous.

"For your information, his 'powers of persuasion' consist of allowing me to go to the restroom in a shabby diner, getting me a rejuvenating glass of water, hence the rosy cheeks, and telling me a very intriguing story. And all of that was accomplished after chasing me down in his car and before having an interesting talk about the, cough, two of you." I said most of that to her, but the last part was for both. In the middle of my speech, Luke seemed to believe me, because he had paled to his usual skin tone. At that last statement, however, he turned even more red and furious looking than I had ever seen him.

"Oh really! What was your talk about her and me consisting of?!" He seemed to emphasize her. That almost made me doubt my ideas of them together, but then Eris erased all doubts in one sentence.

"Why, are you worried we might, you know, hook up?"

Next thing I know, Peter has a choke hold on Luke, and I had just slapped Eris across the face. She was speechless, and Luke couldn't speak either, though that was due more to the choke hold than my action.

*3 minutes later…*

I was sitting in a chair. I don't know how long, but I had been sitting, and calming down. I got up. I walked over to Eris and held out my hand, in a sense of apology mixed with "we-are-both-almost-adult-woman-who-don't-need-to-squabble." She slapped my hand away and turned her head with a snort.

I just stood there. About two minutes earlier, Peter had released Luke, and they had already mentioned the "no hard feelings" line.

Eris finally stood up, and to my surprise, she faced me. She looked like she could slap me herself, so I was doubly surprised when she simply talked.

"You are a right, piece of work. You know that?"

"Sure." I replied in a calm manner. I think that ruffled her edges.

"You know what?"

"What?" I was truly puzzled by that.

"Stop flirting with Peter!"

"I haven't been flirting with Peter." I was confused.

"STOP LYING TO ME! I know you two did something while you were gone!"

"You're mistaken. That's you and Luke. You two are an item, aren't you?" I flinched a little when she yelled, but then I was over it.

"No..." Luke whimpered off to the side. Peter looked down at Luke with a stare like a laser pointer.

"Why aren't you getting mad? Cum on! HIT ME AGAIN!" She started screaming.

I turned my attention from the guys to Eris after her little announcement. She slapped me harder than I had slapped her, or any one else for that matter.

_Wow. She slapped me!_

"Hit me. I dare you."

"No." I spoke only loud enough for the guys to also hear us.

"What?!" She seemed awestruck by the idea of me being a part-time pacifist. "Are you scared?"

"Why aren't you?" Peter looked like he hated me. That was probably because I had shocked him by not doing what I would have usually done.

"Why aren't you?" Luke, however, was looking at me like a saint. Apparently he very much liked the idea that I wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Are you scared of me?" Eris asked in a voice that you would use when talking to an infant.

"No. I just… You're the only family I have left. I don't want to hurt you any more than Peter wants to hurt you. Now, Peter would probably benefit from me hitting you because then he could swoop in like a savior, but I'm not going to give him that luxury." I realized that I actually meant that halfway through. I heard Luke give a low whisper.

"Wow."

*****

_Yeah right. Peter doesn't think of me that way. But then again… _I tossed a curious glance in Peter's direction _if he doesn't have some interest in me, then why did he put the choke hold on Luke when I mentioned hooking up? Hmmm…. This is so….dehydrating. I'm thirsty! If she gets a drink, then I do, too._

The building we were in for the reunion was a multi-room building, complete with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, a couple of bathrooms (which were, unfortunately, blocked by the explosion), and one big mess hall. We were standing in the middle of the mess hall, and the kitchen was off to our left, with the doors to the outside world to the right.

I lithely stood up, and carefully picked my way through the debris to my left. I heard murmurs, in the form of questions, no doubt, behind me. I had expected this. It wasn't unusual for people to wonder what I was doing. Being a girl with a short stature, only 5'2", and with dark blue eyes, most people were curious when I did something unexpected. Granted, my brown hair with green undersides should have given away my difference, but no one took the hint.

"Where're you going?" Peter called out behind me. I didn't bother to answer him. I kept walking in the same general direction.

Styx could be heard talking to him. She seemed to be saying something along the lines of "She's going to the kitchen. Isn't it obvious?" Clearly, she didn't get the whole idea.

"What are you doing?" She questioned me, as though questioning my sanity at the same time.

"What do you think I'm doing in the kitchen, I'm getting something to drink?" I carelessly threw those words over my shoulder without turning around. They would catch the gist of what I was saying.

"Oh! She must be thirsty!" I rolled my eyes and laughed quietly to myself at Styx's slow processing ability.

I walked to the nearest cabinet, worried about not being able to find a cup. I quickly noticed that each cabinet was labeled with a list of its contents. I found glasses after a speedy search, and grabbed the nearest one I could find.

I then carried the glass to the tap at the sink. I turned the knob on cold, but nothing came out. I tried hot next, but I think the portal explosion ruptured a pipe underground. The fridge managed to save me, however. There was a pitcher full of purified water sitting in the refrigerator section, and it was cold and delicious. I giddily downed a whole glass and refilled another.

I took the glass of water with me into the mess hall, and resumed my original sitting position in the same chair. The only difference was the water, which I sipped now and then.

Peter cautiously walked over to me from the far wall. He and Luke had already given up on death glares, and had been murmuring. My guess was it was about who's with whom.

"Are you two done fighting?" He cast a furtive glance at Styx and me before returning to his casual, but wary, stance. "We need to start our move. You know we can't just sit around here while our families are trapped in another dimension." He gave a little laugh that was practically a sigh.

"I know." I hardly said anything. I was too thirsty to speak much, but at that moment, Styx found her tongue.

"Okay, now that we're all on friendly terms-"I sent her a glare that she dutifully ignored. "- or at least tolerable terms, we can get a move on. I for one think that we should go to the nearest portal, but I'm afraid that it lies off continent, and I don't think we can currently afford four plane tickets to a different country. How do we get there?"

Peter looked up at her, and then turned his head to me.

"Easy, we sail."


End file.
